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Traditional craftsmanship
Once the buyers have acquired their products, they send them for dressing, which softens and preserves the skins. Traditionally, Italy and Greece have had extensive dressing industries, but today a great deal of the dressing is performed in the Far East. Once dressed, the skins are ready for sewing. A substantial amount of the skins are coloured, and the leather side is often suede processed, nappa processed or printed. The hair side can be plucked or shaved, and patterns can be applied with laser technology. Over the past 10 years, trends have moved incredibly fast, and today fur is available in many different shades other than the conventional brown. DESIGN AND SEWING The furrier’s job is to calculate the number of skins needed for a fur coat and in cooperation with the designer decide which technique to use for the selected fur type. A host of different processing methods exists. Skin cutting gives the furrier a longer and more uniform piece
of fur with which to work. The skin is cut into 4-5 mm narrow strips that are sewn together according to special methods. Taping is a process in which the furrier combines the fur with another material to give the fur a different look. Cutting and taping are the conventional fur sewing methods. The furriers require great skill and the process is highly labour-intensive. Labour costs associated with fur garments are therefore high, and, consequently, much of the processing is concentrated in the Far East, where labour costs are lower.